


Flashbacks

by Starlight1395



Series: Welcome Home [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Flashbacks, PTDS, Roadhog being a concerned protector, Violence, how Junkrat lost his limbs, how they made it into Overwatch, sad Junkrat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-07 14:06:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7717678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight1395/pseuds/Starlight1395
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Junkrat relives some of his worst memories when he least expects it. He didn't know was PTSD was, he just knew sometimes some things triggered awful flashbacks that he couldn't escape from. Roadhog, ever worried about his charge, is the one who brings the Junkers to Overwatch in order to help his friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flashbacks

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to make this a series because I wanted to keep all of these one shots together. I may write a multi chapter story in the future, but for right now these angsty oneshots are perfect.

 

“Oi, Roadie, come ‘elp me with this.” Junkrat called to his companion. They found a goldmine – hypothetically of course. It was more of a junkmine, but to them that really was gold. The smaller was trying to pry a large sheet of metal from a destroyed machine, but even his strength wasn’t enough to pull it clear of the bolts holding it in place.

Roadhog lumbered over, cocking his head to the side as he took in the other’s predicament. With a grunt he grabbed the metal and gave a tug, the bolts groaning. It took a few more tugs before the metal sheet came free.

“It would have been easier to just remove the bolts.” Roadhog commented as Junkrat juggled the treasure.

“Prolly, but I ain’t got the time for that!” he cackled and wiped the grime from the metal, trying to see what the writing was underneath. Junkrat felt his breathing stop.

Under the grime was an unfortunately familiar logo. Roadhog realized what it was a second too late. The smaller Junker dropped the metal like it was red hot and jumped away, crouching on the dried sand.

Roadhog had only seen the smaller go through this three times since the accident, and it scared him every time. It took time for him to get used to Junkrat’s eccentricities, but those were easy enough to look over in time.

Roadhog didn’t think. He scooped up the smaller Junker and ran to the bike. He didn’t bother with the side car, placing the Aussie’s back against his chest and started the engine. He rode straight to the old shack they staked out a few days back. The whole time he tried to calm his passenger’s breathing, which was getting more and more frantic.

Junkrat would give a twitch or a strained whine every few minutes, and that pushed Roadhog to drive faster. Roadie knew what was going through his friend’s head at times like this. He was remembering the accident in excruciating detail.

He pulled up to the house and carried Junkrat inside, hoping his friend would snap out of it soon.

* * *

  
“Roadie get down!” Junkrat called, flinging a bomb in the direction of the enemy. He wasn’t even sure who he was fighting at this point. Was it the omnics? Other Junkers? Bandits? He wasn’t sure, he just knew he had to get them out of there.

A large machine flew overhead, it’s logo painted bright enough to be seen through the later of grime that coats everything in the outback. It was a smiling robot, with writing along the edge. He’d seen it all over the news and posters for the past few months, but he never really bothered to look further into it.

The machine sent ropes down, and soldiers slid down them, landing on the packed dirt with barely a thump. Junkrat pulled the pin from a grenade and aimed for the thickest cluster of soldiers when something caught his eye.

Roadhog was surrounded, twelve men forming a circle around him and were closing in. He tried to use his chain, but one of the men managed to snag it. Junkrat knew if he threw the grenade his partner would explode the same as the soldiers.

He did the first thing that came to mind. Holding onto the explosive, he sprinted to the men, tackling one to the ground. As soon as the one went down, the others closed in, trying to defend their comrade.

Junkrat sent Roadhog a pointed look that said ‘just like we talked about’. The larger Junker hesitated, but still ran over to their stash of weapons. Junkrat smiled up at the men and the barrels of their guns, his pointed teeth shockingly white against his stained skin.

He put both hands up in apparent surrender. The soldiers were shocked at first, before one realized what he had done. The grenade exploded, blowing the soldiers to pieces. Junkrat was thrown across the field.

He didn’t understand. Why was everything silent? He had been messing with explosives for long enough to know a big bang resulted in ringing, but it was if he was the only person out there. No guns, no explosions, no yelling. Slowly the ringing started, and he let out a light-headed giggle.

He guessed the smoke from the explosion was finally drifting over to him because his vision as starting to go black. He saw Roadhog rushing over to him, a medkit in his oversized hands. He giggled again, the sound more like a deranged cackle.

“Fuck.” Roadhog said, startling the smaller. Roadie never cursed, that was Junkrat’s job.

“Hehehe good to see ya in one piece Roadie,” He grinned, feeling something dribble down his chin. “What’s that look for?” He could see Mako’s eyes through the holes in the mask, and he was shocked to see that they were misty.

“Don’t move.” Came the gruff reply. Roadhog used the medkit, but was horrified to see the damage stay. Junkrat giggled again, lifting his arm to place a comforting hand on his friend’s cheek. Only, he couldn’t. He lifted his head and tried to see what was wrong only to stop dead.

He didn’t have an arm. All that was left was a bloodied stump, ending just below the elbow. He felt his breathing pick up as he stared at the stump, as if willing the arm to grow back. He jumped to his feet – or at least tried too. He fell over before he could even get on his knees.

His breath hitched as he realized his leg was gone too, knee and all. Hot tears fell down his face, but he didn’t feel any pain.

“M-mako?” He choked out, reaching for his friend. He never called Roadhog by his real name, even when they were alone. Mako picked him up, cradling him against his chest. He could feel the blood staining his bare chest and drip over his stomach tattoo, but he couldn’t worry about that right then.

Roadhog did something he had never done before. He slipped off his mask and placed it on the other’s face. He attached a healing canister, praying to whatever god even cared anymore that the concentration of the gas would help more than the medkit. He sighed as he saw the bleeding slow, but it wasn’t enough. He needed to het Junkrat out of there. Now.

The smaller Junker tried to fight against he mask, his breathing turning shallow and painful. He tried to claw the mask away, but with one arm pinned against Roadhog’s chest and the other gone, he had no luck of removing it on his own.

With the fighting still going on in the distance, Roadhog carried Junkrat away.

* * *

  
Roadhog did the unimaginable after Junkrat didn’t snap out of his flashback. He had been avoiding her calls for months, but it was an emergency. He pulled out the phone, created and modified by

Junkrat himself. The little Junker was brilliant at things other than explosives, but preferred them to ordinary objects.

“Hello?” Mercy said after the second ring.

“Mercy?” Roadhog said clearly. He had no need for a mask at a time like this. He could hear the healer’s gasp on the other line and grimaced.

“Mako? Oh gosh I’m so happy you called!” She said excitedly.

“Please, it’s Jamie. He won’t snap out of it.” He said, desperation coloring his voice. She fell silent as she realized what he had said.

“Where are you?” She asked, her own voice turning serious. Roadhog told her approximate coordinates and she said she would be there as soon as she could. Roadhog wasn’t sure how long it would take her to make it to them, but his worry for Junkrat grew as the smaller man began shaking violently.

He prayed she would get there soon.

* * *

The memories just kept coming. Junkrat was lying on a dirty couch, his back arched away from the cushions. Roadhog had been trying medkit after medkit, but all they did was seal up the wounds.

His head was on fire, and not in the usual way. Junkrat felt like his head had a wildfire burning inside. He was cold but sweating, and every inch of him hurt.

“R-roadie please…” He gasped, tears running down his face. “End it mate. I-I can’t do this anymore,” He reached his good arm out to Roadhog, who was at a loss. He had never nursed anyone back to health. It was his job to destroy life, not save it. He shook his head, not letting the smaller see the distress in his eyes. “D-damnit Mako! Kill me please…” Jamie screamed at his bodyguard, begging for the pain to stop. He had been begging and pleading and screaming for hours – days even - but Roadhog sat there, silent as ever.

Junkrat’s bloodshot eyes looked at him wildly, the golden orange of his irises offset by the blood red around them. He hadn’t eaten in three days, and not from lack of trying on Roadhog’s part.

Junkrat had thrown up anything the older man managed to shove down his throat.

After fifteen more minutes of Junkrat pleading to be killed - for Mako to end his suffering - he passed out, his good arm going limp on the floor. Mako sighed and stood, doing something he never thought he could. He wrapped his friend up and propped him up on the bike.

The ride to the nearby clinic seemed to take years, but eventually they made it. A blonde woman with a guttural accent greeted them, her eyes widening when she recognized them. But she didn’t deny them treatment.

She introduced herself as Angela, and brought Junkrat back to treat. While he was recovering, she told Roadhog of an organization called Overwatch, who was in need of dedicated fighters. Roadhog didn’t say anything.

* * *

  
Mercy was frantic. She managed to get Symmetra to make a portal, but it let out a few miles away from the coordinates that the Junker had given her. She carried her staff and flew as fast as she could. Before she made it to the exact spot, she saw a small shack with a familiar bike out front. She nodded to herself and flew there.

She didn’t bother knocking on the door, striding in without announcing herself. Roadhog had jumped to his feet, oddly nimble for a man of his size. He lowered his chain when he realized who it was.

Without a word he showed her where Junkrat was lying, twitching and crying.

Just as she was about to place a hand on his forehead, he bolted upright, screaming. Mercy flinched but didn’t fall back like Roadhog did.

“He’s having a flashback.” She said. “A pretty bad one by the looks of it. How long do these fits last?”

“Not this long.” Roadhog said, fidgeting with his mask. “Twenty minutes, tops.”

“How long has this one been going?”

“An hour.”

“That’s not good.” She hummed and grabbed her staff. There was nothing to heal, but maybe it could bring some comfort to the Junker, who was staring at the wall with a horrified expression. A warm glow surrounded Junkrat, who started to relax, the horrified looking becoming more complacent.

Within minutes he was sleeping peacefully. Mercy turned to Roadhog, who didn’t want to take his eyes off the man on the couch.

“You need to come back to Overwatch with me.” She said, no room for argument.

“I don’t go where he don’t go.” Roadhog huffed out. Mercy sighed and glanced at Junkrat, who had tear streaks through the soot on his face.

“We can help him. PTSD is tough to live with, but there are ways of treating it so it’s not as bad.” She said. She could see the slump in the taller man’s shoulders as he realized he had no choice.

“Let’s go then.” He said, moving to gather their belongings and lift the other Junker.

“I’ll call for the jet. It’ll be here in a little while. We’ll have to go to the airport though.”

“Lead the way.”

* * *

  
Junkrat grinned at D.va, who let out a holler. She won the game again, though this one was against NPCs. He had woken up in the Overwatch headquarters about a month ago and was fitting in surprisingly well.

Junkrat was actually happy Roadhog brought him here, though he would never admit it. It was nice, having real food whenever he wanted and not having to worry about bandits slitting his throat in the night.

He was starting to doze off in the den, even the explosions from the game not enough to keep him awake. He drifted into a deep sleep, something the Junker wasn’t familiar with. His subconscious must have been more comfortable there than he though.

He woke up to something covering his nose and mouth. He instantly went into panic mode, lashing out and trying to get away. He was back to that day. His side was numb and Roadhog was smothering him with something.

A vile smelling gas filled his nose and he tried not to breathe it in but he ended up choking it down. His vision began to blur as the gas took effect.

Someone was shaking him. His eyes popped open and he jumped away. It was D.va and Lucio, staring at him like he was about to kill them. His breathing was heavy as he followed their eyes to his mechanical hand.

He had pulled a bomb off his vest before he even realized what was happening. With a push of a button the bomb was deactivated and replaced on his chest. Junkrat sat on the floor, legs pulled up to his chest and his face buried in his knees.

He let out a shaking sob before trying to get his breathing under control. Two hands came down on his shoulders and he flinched.

“Hey, Junkrat, you alright man?” Lucio asked from his left.

“We didn’t mean to scare you like that,” D.va sounded unusually mellow. “We just didn’t want you to scream.”

“I’m sorry guys,” Junkrat whispered, not lifting his head. “I’m all screwy in th’ head sometimes. Things send me back ta bad memories.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lucio offered, helping the taller man back onto the couch. Junkrat shook his head but reluctantly started speaking.

“I took th’ blow for Roadhog and blew me arm an’ leg clean off. He tried ta use his mask ta heal me but it caused me ta choke. Sometimes I get thrown back ta that time an’ it screws me ova.” He said simply, running a hand through his hair.

Both the younger heroes looked at Junkrat with a mix of sadness and horror. No one should have to go through that, especially not at his age. The thought made Hana ask a question she normally wouldn’t have in such a situation.

“How old were you?” She asked carefully. Junkrat gave a jittering laugh that sounded almost pained.

“Um…” Junkrat paused, having to think hard. His memory wasn’t the best anymore. “I hafta say around seventeen or eighteen. It’s all a blur at this point.” He chuckled again, weaker this time.

Hana let out a soft gasp. He was younger than her when his arm and leg were blasted off. Younger than her when his life turned upside down.

“Hey man, you want to get some food?” Lucio asked, standing and stretching. D.va shot him a look but h just nodded at her. She realized he was trying to distract the Junker. Said Junker smiled but shook his head.

“Can’t today mates. Roadie and I ‘ave previous plans.” He said, scratching the back of his head and grinning.

“O-oh, alright man. Maybe next time?”

“Definitely.” Junkrat held a fist out, the way Lucio had taught him. The shorter man grinned back and returned the fist bump. Junkrat jittered and limped out of the room, leaving his friends to exchange silent words.

He made his way to Roadhog’s room and opened the door without knocking. The larger Junker was sitting in a chair and reading a book that seemed almost too small in his hands. He wasn’t wearing his mask, so Jamie saw his face relax a little when he walked in.

“Oi mate, we ‘ave some Junka time we need ta use.” He grinned and held up some bombs. Mako smiled and stood, grabbing his mask. Mako knew what Junkrat meant when he said Junker time. They both needed some senseless explosions to relax sometimes. He only ever called for Junker time when he felt completely safe.

Roadhog smiled behind his mask as he followed the skinny man out the door. It seemed Junkrat was finally starting to get comfortable in Overwatch.


End file.
